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Steampunk Space Opera


Veino
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So, I’ve been tinkering with the idea for a while, and never had much story to go with it. As a result, it got me thinking. It’s a world concept, not a story concept. World building concepts are great for opening up to multiple authors to tell stories in, and since the steampunk rush has long since crashed, why not give it a go for a RP forum?

 

concept: secondary universe, intergalactic society that uses steampunk technology, multiple space empires and governments, space is aether-based and people sail using flying sailing ships, not necessarily Victorian in aesthetic, but maybe Victorian to Edwardian, getting up to WW1 and modernism technology. 
 

forum execution: sandbox, world building, writer/player created and driven factions, technology development

 

Basically, Star Wars meets Treasure Planet. Lots of possibility, but I’d want at least five people to consider doing anything with it as a forum. 

 

Aure entuluva! Day shall come again! - The Children of Hurin

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So, Treasure Planet is probably one of my all-time favorites. I would definitely be interested in this game!

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Brilliant! And yeah, it’s one of my favorite animated movies too. Iconic, genius, and incredibly creative. Glad to hear you’re interested. You interested in helping it get going? If not, totally understandable.  @Grimscythe

Edited by Veino

Aure entuluva! Day shall come again! - The Children of Hurin

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This sounds neat as hell. What forum host and site rating are you thinking of? Activity rules? App type? The one problem I see possibly developing is that, in a setting as wide as this one, people will either only make characters in a handful of places, or will make characters where nobody else is and then complain about not getting threads. Perhaps focus it, initially, on a planet that's a port or other hub of activity, with a few other planets/galaxies that can be opened as interest grows?

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@Jaxx

Glad you think so! The actual logistics I'm keeping loose for now, but thinking probably 222. As for forum host, I only really know proboards, so if I do it alone, that's probably where it will end up, unless I figure out some of the other softwares. As for apps, I'm thinking basic character template without needing approval. Give people the benefit of doubt. Leave it open as a sandbox worldbuilder so people can have more setting buy-in and plot agency. 

 

Understandable! It can be tricky to work with such a huge setting. Wouldn't be super strict about timeline or where characters are. Structurally, it'd be a lot like the Star Wars board I've been writing on for... almost 7 years now, I think. It works really well. But yeah, it would start off with a few locations premade and then expand over time as people start making new things. Likely a core system for all the main political powers to begin with and then writers can expand the factions through threads. 

Aure entuluva! Day shall come again! - The Children of Hurin

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Hmm, I'm not particularly familiar with proboards. (At least, I haven't used them since the early 2000s, when I first tried to float an idea I'm currently working on.) That said, I don't know the ins and outs of it. I don't overly mind the idea of staffing such a site, either; however, I would need to know where the lines are drawn clearly: most people can't get a 3/3/3 rating right, so the general consensus of what constitutes a 2/2/2 is terrifying.

 

That said, a true 2/2/2 setting cannot be achieved on a proboards forum, as their TOS forbids mature content and 2/2/2 is just a step below 3/3/3. A 2/2/2 board is defined as permitting swearing, sexual content, and violence--with some limitations. In fact, most of your 3/3/3 boards that have limitations are actually 2/2/2. So if you're wanting to go the proboards route, you're probably looking at something that is more along the lines of 2/1/2 at worst--or what we call PG-13.

 

Jaxx's idea of a hub-planet/station is a perfect starting point, and I'd consider maybe creating the homelands/lore for the first few species that are brought in. Maybe one's a dead planet, another's was destroyed (a la Alderaan), or perhaps the species's home planet is shrouded in mystery... there's really a lot of creativity that can go into this idea.

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@GrimscytheLike I said, that's mostly because it's what I know. I'm down for other options if people have more preferences. All I really know is that Jcink is horrifyingly difficult and I'm not sure I want to suffer through trying to learn that one again. 😅 I have tried several times... and it went poorly. I'm not the most educated about the technical side of forums, so suggestions are great! And that's a good point with the ratings. Hadn't caught that connection and differences between the two. PG-13 is more what I was thinking. Jason Bourne level at the most, I think. 

 

22 hours ago, Grimscythe said:

Jaxx's idea of a hub-planet/station is a perfect starting point, and I'd consider maybe creating the homelands/lore for the first few species that are brought in. Maybe one's a dead planet, another's was destroyed (a la Alderaan), or perhaps the species's home planet is shrouded in mystery... there's really a lot of creativity that can go into this idea.

 

Yeah, for sure. The idea of a nomadic alien species is a great idea. Lots of possibility there. Plenty of room for every writer to experiment and have fun with creating things. 

@Jaxx Did you have any initial starting ideas for hub locations that caught your attention? 

Aure entuluva! Day shall come again! - The Children of Hurin

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Hm, I hadn't really put a lot of thought into the idea, to be honest. But I'd say a bigger and busier planet. That allows for a wide variety of characters to be present in one place - government officials, minor crime lords, guild heads, ship captains, and so on, from a variety of different organizations. And the come-and-go nature of a port town would give an IC explanation for OOC inactivity. Important character goes inactive? Say they're on a trip of some sort while you wait for them to be picked up. Major player leaves? Say their characters got kidnapped by pirates and use it as an event prompt. New person joins? Hey, people show up at this port every day. The more opportunities you have for characters, the more people you'll attract them. 

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@VeinoI can definitely help with the backend jcink-wise, I'm familiar with that nightmare. And I can probably learn to use proboards again. ^_^ I would just like to see the idea grow!

 

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@Jaxx

That's a good idea! Solid call on making it a busier world with more options. You’ve convinced me! That’s a great place to start!

 

@Grimscythe

Okay! Solid! Thanks. I’m down to try and run with Jcink again if people think it would work.

 

What do people think about the next stage in putting this into action? Discord server? Google doc to-do list?

Aure entuluva! Day shall come again! - The Children of Hurin

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@VeinoI think a discord server would probably be good. And Google Docs is definitely great for working on lore and stuff. I'll add you on Discord if it will let me since I noticed you joined ours!

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@Grimscythe Sounds good! I can get a basic server set up super quickly and invite you. 

Aure entuluva! Day shall come again! - The Children of Hurin

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